Author: David Messinger

Remembrance Day is a solemn day in the UK honoring the end of World War I and all veterans who have died in battle. It is observed on November 11, as the hostilities ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. This statue honoring the Durham Light Infantry… Continue reading Remembrance Day

On a clear fall afternoon, we decided to spend the day walking around Durham, seeing the sights, and taking some pictures. We even took some pictures after the sun went down. We walked from our house, up to the top of Observatory Hill (seen above), down through the University, and then back through town. This… Continue reading A Fall Walk in Durham

Our good friend, Pete, (far right in the picture above) wanted to celebrate his 60th birthday with close friends and family in Bavaria, Germany. We flew to Munich and stayed just outside the city in a town called Gilchirn. We also went to a town right near the Alps called Murnau. Fifteen of us stayed… Continue reading Bavarian Birthday Bash!

It’s fall, it’s football time (for both the US and the UK, though different sports)! Welcome to Western New York and the Finger Lakes, home of the Buffalo Bills! Although both the UK and the US celebrate their respective teams, the branding in the US is a bit…different. The largest grocery store in the area… Continue reading Let’s go, Buffalo!!!

We returned home to New York for a week at the end of September to see family and friends and beautiful Fall in Upstate NY! Everywhere you look people are getting ready for autumn and Halloween. There are lots of vibrant colors in the trees this time of year. And there are lots of fall… Continue reading Autumn and Halloween in Upstate NY

Our friends, Lori and Bruce, were traveling to Europe so they came to Scotland for a quick visit. We were going to meet them in Edinburgh and show them the city before moving on to St. Andrews. Or at least that was the plan until their plane got delayed by two days…… We did meet… Continue reading Edinburgh and St. Andrews – September 2023

Last weekend we went to County Durham’s largest, and England’s longest running outdoor agricultural show (a.k.a., a “State Fair” as we would call it). The Wolsingham Agricultural Show has been held every year since 1763! Much like our State Fair, the focus is on agricultural life and products, with competitions for livestock, baking, and crafts.… Continue reading Wolsingham Agricultural Show

While in Knebworth we also went to a chili festival at Bennington Lordship Gardens and then went to see the beautiful house and chapel at Knebworth House. The chili festival included lots of great vendors selling really, really, hot sauces and spices. Deb had to ask a vendor if they had anything she could try… Continue reading Knebworth, the Chili Festival, and Corn Hole

While in Knebworth, we went to a Football (i.e., Soccer) match between Stevenage FC (the local club) and Portsmouth. It’s a lovely little stadium where everyone is close to the field, and the fans sing and chant throughout the entire game. We had great seats right behind the goal. The other end was full of… Continue reading Stevenage Football Club

This weekend we went to the London area to visit our good friends who live in Knebworth. On Friday, they arranged for us to go to dinner to the George and Vulture in London. There has been a pub, restaurant, or inn on this site since about 1142 (that’s not a typo, that’s almost 900… Continue reading The George and Vulture

Edinbugh Scotland is our Happy Place! While there for the Tattoo we spent several hours wandering around the City, trying to see places and things we haven’t really seen before. We walked along Flodden’s Wall and up to Greyfriar’s Kirk and cemetery. The Kirk cemetery has lots of history. Including these “mortsafes“, structures built over… Continue reading A Day in Edinburgh, Scotland

Every year, during August, Edinburgh hosts the Fringe Festival and the Military Tattoo. What’s a Tattoo in this context? According to wikipedia “The term tattoo derives from a 17th-century Dutch phrase doe den tap toe (“turn off the tap”) a signal to tavern owners each night, played by a regiment’s Corps of Drums, to turn off the taps of their… Continue reading Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

The Reformation changed the face of England and Scotland in many ways. Catholics were forced to flee to many places, including France. However, during the French Revolution, some of them came back to the Northeast of England. Ushaw Historic House and Chapels was originally Ushaw College, a Catholic seminary and College founded in 1808. It… Continue reading Ushaw Historic House and Chapels

August 3-5 this year the Scottish coastal town of Dunbar hosted the Scottish National Sheep Dog Trials, so we attended! We took the train up to Dunbar from Durham, not far, a little over an hour (although our British friends think we’re crazy for going that far for a day). Dunbar is a pretty small… Continue reading Scottish National Sheep Dog Trials

Every year Durham has its very own Fringe Festival! For the weekend there are multiple music, art, and theater events, so we went to a few. There was Morris dancing in the Market Square with awesome outfits and accordions: In the evening we went to the Shakespeare Festival to see Macbeth performed under a tent… Continue reading Durham Fringe Festival!